Action For Railhttp://actionforrail.org
The campaign for a railway that puts people before profit.Thu, 05 Jan 2017 11:50:21 +0000en-GBhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8Fares rise twice as fast as wages – passengers deserve a railway that puts people before profithttp://actionforrail.org/fares-rise-twice-as-fast-as-wages-passengers-deserve-a-railway-that-puts-people-before-profit/
Tue, 03 Jan 2017 15:29:51 +0000http://actionforrail.org/?p=1901

Passengers are paying more, but getting less. Trains are often cancelled, delayed, overcrowded and understaffed. While passengers pay more for the rail services, the dividends paid to rail company shareholders was £222m in 2014/15 – a whopping increase of 21% on the previous year. Instead of reinvesting the money back into the railways – to ensure the trains run on time, the rail network is properly staffed and passengers’ fares are affordable – your money is lining the pockets of shareholders.

This morning, Action for Rail campaigners and Labour party activists asked King’s Cross passengers to write to their MPs, and put pressure on the government to support affordable fares, public ownership and a properly staffed railway.

]]>UK commuters pay up to 6 times more on rail fares than their European counterpartshttp://actionforrail.org/uk-commuters-pay-up-to-6-times-more-on-rail-fares-than-their-european-counterparts/
Tue, 03 Jan 2017 07:30:53 +0000http://actionforrail.org/?p=1894

For commuters returning to work today, 2017 seems less celebratory and promising given they will face fresh fare increases on their first day back, all thanks to our privatised rail system.

Worse still, our counterparts in Europe using largely publicly owned railways are spending significantly less on travel and enjoying a better standard of living. How then are we doing in relation to spending on rail fares in comparison to our European cousins? Not fantastic. According to our research, UK workers on average salaries spend 14% of their income on a monthly season ticket from Luton to London amounting to an exorbitant £387, or 11% from Liverpool to Manchester at £292.

Similar commutes on the continent would cost passengers only 2% of their incomes in France, 3% in Germany and Italy, and 4% in Spain.

Rail fares increasing aren’t the only hitch though. Trains are often delayed, cancelled and overcrowded. We need more staffing – not ticket office closures and slashing of staffing levels.

The misery of privatisation: paying more for less

And don’t get me started on how commuters suffer poor quality services, and worse the recent rise in crime and hate crime – that’s why we need more staff on understaffed platforms. Passengers are tired of paying more for less! It is doubly frustrating that high fares and the tax payers’ money is being used to subsidise profits and shareholder dividends. Just see the case of Southern Rail.

Southern Rail, run by Govia, and now part-owned by French state railways is a franchising failure. Southern received £42m in net subsidies from the taxpayer in 2014-15 and paid out £22m in shareholder dividends, despite its failures. Now while fares escalate, Southern is proposing to close more ticket offices, remove guards from trains and extend driver only operations. That’s not putting passenger safety first! Southern is a clear example of the failures of privatisation, with profits put before people.

We need public ownership

We’ve already seen how placing rail in the hands of private owners since 1994 has derailed the system. The government remains totally averse to public ownership. We know that putting the likes of Southern Rail back into the hands of public ownership can work better. Publicly owned East Coast returned over £1bn to the Treasury, had high satisfaction ratings and won over 30 industry awards. Research shows that more than double (£1.5bn) could be saved over the same period if the rail franchises up for renewal this parliament were returned to the public sector. Transport for Quality of Life have estimated that this could fund a 10% reduction in season tickets and other regulated fares from 2017.

The time then seems ripe for public ownership of our rail. Hundreds of rail campaigners’ are joining ‘action for rail’ protests today across the nations of the UK, to power the message that we won’t settle for anything less than an affordable, properly staffed and publically owned rail system!

Sign our petitions

]]>End #RailRipOff. Take action for affordable fares and public ownershiphttps://campaign.goingtowork.org.uk/petitions/pay-more-but-get-less
Thu, 22 Dec 2016 17:21:13 +0000http://actionforrail.org/?p=1831DAY OF ACTION on 3rd January 2017 – help us end #RailRipOffhttp://actionforrail.org/day-of-action-on-3rd-january-2017-help-us-end-railripoff/
Tue, 22 Nov 2016 12:05:13 +0000http://actionforrail.org/?p=1876On 1st January 2017, the government will announce a further rise in rail fares for UK train passengers. It’s the Christmas present no one asked for – rather than giving us the gift of proper investment in rail infrastructure and full public ownership, yet again passengers are paying more but getting less.

While fares keep rising, cuts to services and staffing are taking place across the network – with more ticket offices closing, removal of guards from trains, extension of driver only operations and fewer staff at stations to provide help when we need it.

Action for Rail is organising a day of action on Tuesday, 3rd January 2017. We are calling for a publicly owned railway with affordable fares to end this #RailRipOff.

Public ownership of rail could deliver cheaper fares. If the lines up for renewal this parliament were taken back into public ownership, that could save around £1.5bn – which could fund a 10 per cent cut in season tickets and other regulated fares from 2017. A third (£520m) of this £1.5bn saving would come from recouping the money private train companies pay in dividends to their shareholders.

Below are the details of station actions which will be taking place. This page will be updated as actions are confirmed, so please check this page regularly.

Larger actions will be taking place at two major UK stations. Please come and support if you are able to.

London King’s Cross

08. 00

Manchester Piccadilly

08. 00

Other confirmed actions are below –

Station

Times

Aberdare

06:45-08:00

Abergavenny

07:30-10:00

Ascot

08.00-10.00; 17.00-19.00

Basildon

05:30-09:00

Barrrow-in-Furness

06.30-9.30

Bedford

17:00-18:00

Berwick-on-Tweed

08:00-10:00

Bingley

09.00-11.00

Birmingham New Street

07.30-10.00

Birmingham Moor Street

16.00-17.00

Bolton

07:00-09:00; 16:00-18:30

Bournemouth

12.00-14.00; 17.30-18.45

Bridgwater

08.00-

Brighouse

16:00

Bristol Temple Meads

07.30-08.30

Bromley South

16.00-18.00

Burgess Hill

17:00-19:30

Burley

08:00

Burton-on-Trent

07.30-09.00

Cardiff

07.30-09.00

Carlisle

07:30-09:30

Chelmsford

07:30-08:30

Chester

16.00-18.00

Christchurch

16.30-17.30

Clifton Down, Bristol

17.00-18.30

Colchester

07:00

Colchester North

07:00

Coventry

08. 00

Crewe

07.00-09.00

Crewe

07.30-09.00

Crossflatts

09.00-11.00

Darlington

17:00-19:00

Derby

07. 30

Dorchester

07:00-09:00

Downham Market

05.30-09.00

Ealing Broadway, London

17.30 – 19.00

Eltham

07:30-09:30

Exeter Central

17:00-18:00

Exeter St Davids

08:30-09:30

Glasgow Central (4 January)

17:00

Golders Green, London

07:30

Hassocks

07:00-08:30

Hastings

07:30; 17:30

Havant

07:30

Hove

17:00-19:00

Huddersfield

17:00-18:15

Ipswich

17:45-19:30

Kent

07:30

Kidderminster

17:00

Kings Lynn

07:00-09:30

Leamington

06:30-07:30

Leeds

07. 30

Liverpool Lime Street

07:30-09:30

London Liverpool Street

11:00-13:00

London Road, Brighton

07.00-08.30

London Waterloo

08:00

Long Eaton

07.30-90.00

Manchester Piccadilly

07:30-09:30

Marston Green

07:00-09:00

Mauldeth Road, Manchester

09:00-12:00

Merthyr Tydfil

06:30

Middlesborough

17:00-19:00

Newcastle

16.00-18.00

Northampton

06:00-08:00

Norwich

08.30-09.30; 16.30-17.30

Nottingham

07.30-9.00

Olton

07:00-09:00

Orpington

16:00-18:00

Oxford

06:30

Oxford Parkway

07:30-09:30

Peterborough

07:00

Poole

14.30-15.30

Portslade

07:00-19:00

Preston Park, Brighton

06:00-09.15; 17:00-20:00

Pulborough

06.00-08.30

Saltaire

07:30-09:00

Sheffield

06.00-18.00

Sherborne

07.00-09.00 (approx)

Shipley

07:30-09:00

Shirley

07:00-09:00

Solihull

07:00-09:00

Southampton Central

07:00

Southport

07:30-09:00

Stafford

08:00

Stevenage

07:00-08:30

Stockport

07.30-09:30

Stourbridge Junction

06.30-08.30

Stowmarket

07:30

Stratford

06:30-07:30

Swindon

17:30-18:30

Taunton

06:30

Telford

17:00-07:30

Ulverston

15:00-18:00

Wareham

08:00-10:00

Walsall

07.15-08.45; 17.15-18.30

Warwick

06:30-07:30

Warwick Parkway

06:30-07:30

Watford Junction

08:00-09:30

West Malling

07. 00

Weston-Super-Mare

10:00

Weston-super-Mare

07:00-09:00

Weymouth

07:00-09:00

Whistable

07:00

Windsor & Eton Riverside

08.00-10.00; 17.00-19.00

Windsor Central

08.00-10.00; 17.00-19.00

Wolverhampton

07:30-09:30

Worcester Foregate Street

07:00

Worcester Shrub Hill

07:00

Yate

14:00

Yeovil Junction

16.00-18.00 (approx)

Yeovil Pen Mill

16.00-18.00 (approx)

York

08:00-09:30

West Malling

07. 00

Please take action – sign our petition to Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport, calling on him to support affordable fares and a publicly owned railway that puts people before profits.

]]>Stop the Fourth Railway Package – TAKE ACTION!http://campaign.actionforrail.org/stop-eu-privatisation
Fri, 18 Nov 2016 11:17:56 +0000http://actionforrail.org/?p=1875Rail privatisation is daylight robbery – take action!http://actionforrail.org/rail-privatisation-is-daylight-robbery-take-action/
Mon, 07 Nov 2016 15:43:07 +0000http://actionforrail.org/?p=1866Are you tired of paying extortionate rail fares? Tired of delayed or cancelled trains? Tired of the overcrowding and not being able to get help when you need it – while private train companies make bigger and bigger profits?

Then join our national day of action in support of public ownership, affordable fares and for a properly staffed railway – on 3 January 2017.

Rail fares are going up yet again in January 2017. Enough is enough. Passengers are now contributing about 70% of industry funding. It’s a double whammy. As taxpayers, we continue to fund the vast majority of investment in our railways. Meanwhile, private train companies are paying out larger dividends to shareholders (a 21% increase in 2014-15 compared to the previous year), Network Rail’s income from these companies fell by around £500m in 2014-15, and by cutting staff, companies are saving even more money.

Women passengers, older passengers, and passengers with disabilities have raised concerns about cuts to staffing and services, such as ticket office closures and more driver only trains, and they have supported our calls for proper staffing. We want a railway that is safe, inclusive and accessible for all.

Please join our day of action in support of public ownership. If you can organise an action at your local station – please get in touch at actionforrail@tuc.org.ukPlease note that the deadline for ordering action cards to distribute at stations is 9 December 2016.

The closure of ticket offices was not evidence based – it occurred without proper consultation with passengers or adequately trialing the impact first. However, following renewed lobbying, a review of the closure programme is now taking place.

London TravelWatch is the passenger body which has been commissioned to carry out a survey of the views of passengers. We are urging you to fill out the survey and to encourage members, friends, family and colleagues to contribute via the following link to make the case for ticket offices on the London Underground.

]]>Labour and Public Ownership of Rail – Fringe event, Sunday 25th Septemberhttp://actionforrail.org/labour-and-public-ownership-of-rail-fringe-event-sunday-25th-september/
Wed, 21 Sep 2016 10:36:22 +0000http://actionforrail.org/?p=1860Action for Rail will be hosting a fringe event at Labour’s Annual Conference 2016 in Liverpool. “Labour and the Public Ownership of Rail” argues that privatisation is failing to deliver an affordable world-class service and will call on Labour to set out a bold vision for rail.

]]>How much has your season ticket gone up by? #railripoffhttp://actionforrail.org/how-much-has-your-season-ticket-gone-up-by-railripoff/
Tue, 16 Aug 2016 15:27:09 +0000http://actionforrail.org/?p=1849Today the government announced another hike in rail fares. From 2017, regulated fares which includes season tickets and anytime day tickets will increase by 1.9%. Since 2010, fares have risen at double the speed of wages – increasing by 25%, while average weekly earnings have only risen by 12%. Shareholders of private train companies have just pocketed £222m in dividends – an increase of 21% on the previous year. Under public ownership this money could be re-invested to improve services or cut fares.

We’ve calculated the rises for some season tickets on some routes. Let us know what you think about your increase (at 1.9%) @actionforrail and please take action – email your MP in support of a publicly owned railway with affordable fares and proper staffing.

Action for Rail campaigners gathered at over 50 stations across England, Scotland and Wales today (August 16th) to protest a rise in rail fares and support the campaign for a publicly owned railway with affordable fares. This morning the government announced a 1.9% increase in the cost of train tickets in line with the inflation figure used to calculate the annual rise in regulated rail fares (RPI).

Action for Rail campaigners asked passengers at London Bridge station to write to their MPs

At London Bridge, Action for Rail were joined by leader of the Labour party Jeremy Corbyn MP, Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald MP, and leader of the Green Party, Natalie Bennett, who support the call for affordable rail fares under a publicly owned railway. Southern Railway commuters shared their frustration about the continued delays and cuts to train services. Southern Rail is a franchising failure and needs to be brought under public ownership. We know public ownership can work – evidence shows that the publicly owned East Coast was a success story before being moved back under a private company.

Thank you to everyone who took action for rail, from Sheffield to Brighton to Berwick-on-Tweed, to demand an affordable railways under public ownership. Help us end the #railripoff by writing to your MP: bit.ly/2augyO6

@actionforrail

Action for Rail campaigners at Burton-on-Trent stationAction for Rail campaigners at Berwick-upon-Tweed stationAction for Rail campaigners at Sheffield stationAction for Rail campaigners at Liverpool Lime Street stationAction for Rail campaigners at Derby station

Action for Rail campaigners at Bromley South station (London)Action for Rail campaigners at Lincoln station

Action for Rail campaigners at Norwich stationAction for Rail campaigners at Wolverhampton station

Rail fares have risen at double the speed of wages since 2010, according to new analysis by the Action for Rail campaign. Fares have risen by 25% in the last six years, but average weekly earnings have only gone up by 12%. It’s time to end the rail rip off that is privatisation. While our fares have gone up, dividends paid to shareholders of private train companies have risen to £222m in the last year – an increase of 21%.

Even though passengers are paying more, we’re getting less. Our trains are often late, overcrowded and understaffed. There are cuts to services taking place across the network – driven by government cost-cutting. More ticket offices are closing, guards are being removed from trains, driver-only operations is being extended and there are fewer staff at stations to provide help when we need it. Southern Rail is an example of the abysmal services that passengers have to endure – at a high price.

The government is bending over backwards to sustain our failed privatised railway. They’ve allowed Southern to cancel around 340 services per day, but Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which runs Southern, isn’t in breach of its contract. The government opposes public ownership, but three quarters of our rail network is run by foreign state owned/backed companies. Southern is part owned by French National railways SNCF.

It’s time to end the #railripoff and it’s time to GOvia – #southernfail

Rail campaigners have organised actions at over 50 stations, including at Southern Rail stations – in support of a publicly owned railway with affordable fares and proper staffing.

Take action – please take both if applicable:

Please email your MP calling on them to support the call for a national, publicly owned railway that puts people before profits.

If you use Southern Rail, please email your MP, asking them to strip GTR of the franchise and support a publicly owned railway with affordable fares and proper staffing.

]]>#Southernfail. Take action: It’s Time to GOvia!http://campaign.actionforrail.org/page/speakout/-southern-fail---time-to-govia
Mon, 08 Aug 2016 10:58:07 +0000http://actionforrail.org/?p=1836Overcrowding far outstripping capacity under rail privatisationhttp://actionforrail.org/overcrowding-outstripping-capacity-under-rail-privatisation/
Thu, 04 Aug 2016 09:02:07 +0000http://actionforrail.org/?p=1826New figures from the Department for Transport reveal that peak rail services are running well over capacity, as overcrowding reaches ever higher levels under rail privatisation. The figures present a ‘top 10′ list of overcrowded train services in the Spring and Autumn of last year – 2015, with Govia Thameslink’s 7am service from Brighton to Bedford (via London Blackfriars) topping the list on both occasions.

In Autumn last year, Transpennine Express’ 04:22 service from Glasgow Central to Manchester Airport (via Manchester) came next, followed by Transpennine’s 16:00 and 18:00 services from Manchester Airport to Edinburgh Waverley. These were followed by Govia’s 08:02 service from Beckenham Junction to Bedford (via London), and London Midland’s 17:46 service from London Euston to Crewe.

To illustrate more clearly, the most overcrowded service on both occasions – Govia’s 7am train from Brighton to Bedford, was recorded in Autumn last year as having 540 passengers in excess of its capacity, which is 129 per cent over the limit. At its most overcrowded point – at London Blackfriars at 08.20, the service had 960 passengers on a train that had seating/standing room for 420.

Overall, the DfT’s figures show that the ‘top 10’ overcrowded services in Spring 2015 were between 60 per cent and 122 per cent over their passenger capacity, and the ‘top 10’ overcrowded services in Autumn 2015 were between 61 per cent and 129 per cent over their capacity. The figures underline the frustration faced by many passengers as they face a daily commute to work on increasingly overcrowded services, paying rail fares that rise year-on-year.

The DfT’s figures also provide a picture of crowding and rail passenger numbers on weekdays in major cities in England and Wales in 2015. They show that on a typical weekday there were 581,400 passengers arriving into London during the morning peak, an increase of 3.2 per cent since 2014, while Birmingham, the city with the next largest number of arrivals, had 42,900.

These stats show that London Blackfriars had the highest morning peak crowding level of all major London stations, with 14.7 per cent of services holding passengers in excess of capacity, a rise of 4.1 per cent from 2014. It is not a surprise that Transport Focus’ latest National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS) shows that only 52 per cent of commuters were satisfied with having sufficient room for all to sit/stand on the train, which is one of the biggest drivers of passenger dissatisfaction.

Of course, train companies may celebrate rising passenger numbers, though as we have argued previously – there is no evidence of a causal link between passenger growth and privatisation. Growth in rail passenger journeys is driven by three key factors that have nothing to do with train operating companies – long-term growth in GDP; changing commuting patterns as employment has concentrated in major urban areas, particularly in London and the South East; and increasing motoring costs. The increase in passenger growth on the UK railways has also been stimulated by the much larger increase in public subsidy since privatisation.

What may be particularly galling about overcrowding to passengers and taxpayers is both the lack of proper capacity on train services to cope with passenger levels, as well as the lack of value for money. The latter is represented in ever higher rail fares and significant taxpayer subsidies, but which result in services that are substandard at best, or completely unsatisfactory. Passengers travelling on GTR Southern’s services is one current example, where overcrowded services have been increasingly delayed, cancelled or reduced, while the company is proposing to close more ticket offices, remove guards from trains and extend driver only operations, making the situation much worse and raising serious safety implications.

Under privatisation – there have been decades of under-investment in rolling stock. The average age of trains is now 20.2 years across the country, compared to 16 years at the time of privatisation. If you live outside of the South East, the situation is even worse, with the average age of trains being 22.6 years, or worse still 36.3 years for Merseyrail.

Research commissioned by Action for Rail last year showed that public ownership could save £1.5bn if the lines up for renewal this parliament were taken back into public ownership. The savings could be passed onto passengers and taxpayers – season tickets and other regulated fares could be 10 per cent cheaper from 2017. A third of the savings (£520m) would come from recouping the money private train companies pay in dividends to their shareholders. Such a system would enable a proper, long-term and sustainable approach to addressing capacity in the railways, alongside fare levels and funding for investment.

]]>End #railripoff on 16 August. Protest fare rises and call for public ownershiphttp://actionforrail.org/end-railripoff-on-16-august-protest-fare-rises-and-call-for-public-ownership/
Tue, 21 Jun 2016 08:20:42 +0000http://actionforrail.org/?p=1815On 16 August the government will announce yet another hike in our rail fares, but services are often late, overcrowded and under-staffed. Passengers and taxpayers are being asked to pay an ever increasing price for the failures of rail privatisation. On Southern Rail, run by Govia Thameslink Railway, thousands of passengers are having to put up with abysmal services.

While fares keep rising, cuts to services and staffing are taking place across the network – with more ticket offices closing, removal of guards from trains, extension of driver only operations and fewer staff at stations to provide help when we need it. We’re paying more, but getting less.

Action for Rail is organising a day of action on 16 August calling for a publicly owed railway with affordable fares, and for Govia to be stripped of the Southern Rail franchise.

Public ownership of rail could deliver cheaper fares. If the lines up for renewal this parliament were taken back into public ownership, that could save around £1.5bn – which could fund a 10 per cent cut in season tickets and other regulated fares from 2017. A third (£520m) of this £1.5bn saving would come from recouping the money private train companies pay in dividends to their shareholders.

The inflation figure used to calculate increases in regulated fares, like season tickets and commuter fares, saver and standard returns will be announced on 16 August. The new fare prices will come into force in January 2017.

Thank you if you’re organising an action at a station – the deadline for ordering cards has now closed. We appreciate your support!

Take action! As part of the day of action we’re asking supporters to write to their MPs:

Time to GOvia – return the Southern Rail franchise to public ownership and support the call for a reliable service with affordable fares and proper staffing.

Station actions on 16 August (regularly updated)

We will be at London Bridge station from 07:30 – 09:00 and 17:00 – 1830, in the forecourt of the main entrance (Exit 1) on London Bridge Street, by The Shard. Please click here for an image map of the location.